This invention relates to an apparatus for harvesting seed cones which includes a rotatable cone remover.
The requirement for more efficient means for collecting seed cones from coniferous trees has become greater with increasing reforestation efforts. In the past, trees were frequently felled, or at least topped, in order to harvest the seed cones which typically grow at the top or crown of the tree. Such manual methods are slow and unproductive, so apparatuses have been developed to harvest cones from trees using helicopters. An example of such an apparatus is shown in Canadian Pat. No. 1,084,277 to Chilson.
Typical cone harvesters require that the helicopter pull cutters or strippers up the tree to cut or break the branches or strip the cones. The resulting shock loading on the helicopter is quite severe, especially since the helicopter is hovering under maximum or near maximum torque during the cone picking operation. Another disadvantage of such cone harvesters arises because the branches are separated from the tree. This means that a large portion of the payload of the helicopter is made up largely of unwanted branches. Moreover, removing the branches from the trees leaves the trees more vulnerable to disease or insect attacks. Tree growth may be stunted, especially if the tree top is removed.
Rotary harvesters have been developed in the past. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,482,355 to McBride discloses a nut collecter which uses a rotating brush having a plurality of flexible tines extending therefrom. An ejector mechanism is mounted eccentrically relative to the drum, the ejector mechanism having a cage-like structure which moves nuts held between the tines.
A grain pick-up attachment is shown in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,055,162 to Phillips. Radially extending brushes are raked by stripper fingers and an eccentric floating guide supports rings to brace the brushes.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,590,566 to Cutts discloses a berry harvester which includes a shaker assembly comprising rotatable and laterally oscilating fingers for engaging successive bushes. U.S. Pat. No. 3,616,630 to Gray discribes a machine for harvesting fruit on low plants which includes a brush.
These earlier devices do not, however, reveal an apparatus capable of efficiently harvesting seed cones from the tops of trees without removing a significant proportion of branches and which does not result in heavy shock loading on the helicopter.